Lafayette Building next on DEGC hit list?

[Fnemecek]

Thank you Kraig.

[Patrick]

How much would it cost to seal up this building? By sealing up, I mean more than wooden boards over it.

[ghettopalmetto]

We're only truly rubes if we continue to put up with this by keeping the same politicians in office. It's time for some serious house cleaning in this town.

I think the bigger problem is that George Jackson and the Demolition Expenditure and Graft Corporation aren't elected by the public, and aren't really accountable to anyone despite having their hands in the public purse. What's that old saying about responsibility and accountability going hand-in-hand? Yeah, throw that rule out the window too.

Even if they [[DEGC) were elected, there are a lot of people who could probably give two shits about historic preservation. Nine of them are known as City Council.

[DetroitScooter]

And still, the Packard plant stands...
Losing the Lafayette building is a terrible blow. Another tiny bit of the history and potential of Detroit sacrificed... for WHAT?
Attachment 2036
Edit: I shot this during the final four weekend and the building looked pretty damn good for the ZERO care and attention that it has received for probably eight years.

[reddog289]

From what I can see the Layfayette looks like it can be reused. The Packard plant as mentioned in the last post will stand.I will say that plant needs to go before the LB, MCD, or even the late Tiger Stadium,. But someone high up must want it gone and soon.

[royce]

Forgive me if this has been explained already, but can anyone tell me why the DEGC believes that the Lafayette Building can't be renovated? What angers me is the fact that this building was in decent shape when it closed. If the building was owned by the city most of that time, why didn't they secure it better? [[This is more of a rhetorical question, I think I know the answer). Like other buidings that have been left to rot, the city is now in "desperation mode" that precludes that the Lafayette Building MUST be torn down at this point. It is truly sad that this beautiful building must meet the wrecking ball. BTW, I disagree with anyone who says that the reason the LB must be torn down is because its looming abandonment "scares" hotel guests and residents of the Book Cadillac. It is a poor argument for the justification of the Lafayette Building's demolition.

[Huggybear]

That might be asking too much.

If this goes the way people here think it will, I'll make this prediction - people will realize that they got distracted with Tiger Stadium when they should have had their eyes on the Lafayette Building, and the Lafayette Building was a distraction when people should have been trying to save Washington Boulevard. Reacting will never cut it - nor will sitting on the sidelines with a Messianic complex [[seen in the 1,000+ posts that could be summarized as "if those poor idiots only knew what they were doing, they could redevelop this property").

My fear would be that what happened with the effort to save Tiger Stadium is going to have a negative effect on marginal redevelopment projects in general.

Here's a thought for any historic conservancy groups out there. Identify a building that you feel is worth saving, develop a business plan, identify funding, and get the property before it falls into the hands of the DEGC.

[DetroitBill]

Im glad its being torn down. Great old building, lots of architectural fans but no money or interest to keep it. It will sit they way it is for 20 years and then probably be torn down anyway. Its an ugly eyesore when crossing from the Book,Not exactly what you would want any out of towner staying at a 5star hotel to look at let alone our own citizens. Have to be rational here, it would be great to restore , but it frankly, aint gonna happen. Get rid of it, gutted out buildings in the heart of any downtown are an embarrassment and create a material black eye on any downtown.

[ghettopalmetto]

Im glad its being torn down. Great old building, lots of architectural fans but no money or interest to keep it. It will sit they way it is for 20 years and then probably be torn down anyway. Its an ugly eyesore when crossing from the Book,Not exactly what you would want any out of towner staying at a 5star hotel to look at let alone our own citizens. Have to be rational here, it would be great to restore , but it frankly, aint gonna happen. Get rid of it, gutted out buildings in the heart of any downtown are an embarrassment and create a material black eye on any downtown.

Im glad they're creating an empty lot. Great location, lots of demolition fans but no money or interest to redevelop the site. It will sit they way it is for 20 years and then probably be neglected anyway. It will be an ugly eyesore when crossing from the Book,Not exactly what you would want any out of towner staying at a 5star hotel to look at let alone our own citizens. Have to be rational here, it would be great to build something new on an empty lot , but it frankly, aint gonna happen. Get rid of the demolition plan, empty lots in the heart of any downtown are an embarrassment and create a material black eye on any downtown.

----

DetroitBill, you sound convinced that demolition was inevitable. Why now?

Thanks for giving up from the get-go. Now please step out of the way.

[Fnemecek]

I think the bigger problem is that George Jackson and the Demolition Expenditure and Graft Corporation aren't elected by the public, and aren't really accountable to anyone despite having their hands in the public purse. What's that old saying about responsibility and accountability going hand-in-hand? Yeah, throw that rule out the window too.

Even if they [[DEGC) were elected, there are a lot of people who could probably give two shits about historic preservation. Nine of them are known as City Council.

The DEGC and DDA are appointed by the Mayor, with the City Council signing off on anything that happens to City-owned property. If we change who occupies those offices, that has the potential of bringing about change in those agencies.

[DetroitScooter]

Has anyone done a FOIA on the details of these demo contracts [[bid process, three certified bidders, etc.) and done a correlation on campaign contributions, etc.? When all else fails, follow the money. Sure, it won't save the Lafayette, but it might give MonCon a roommate someday.

[Laughsmith]

One by one, bit by bit, the beautiful buildings of old Detroit are vanishing. Shocking how little value is placed on our own history:

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...=2009906260344

Lafayette to be demolished

DDA agrees to bring down historic building

BY JOHN GALLAGHER • FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER • June 26, 2009


Detroit's Downtown Development Authority voted unanimously Thursday to demolish the historic Lafayette Building.

The vote marks a major defeat for preservationists, who had hoped to save the structure despite its condition.


The 14-story building, designed by famed theater architect C. Howard Crane, once held Michigan Supreme Court offices and other functions. But it has been vacant for more than a decade and is marred by graffiti and trees growing from the roof.

Waymon Guillebeaux, executive vice president of the Detroit Economic Growth Corp., which provides staff services for the DDA, said demolition could start any time.

For now, the site will be landscaped with grass and shrubbery. "It will give the appearance of a pocket park until we can actually redevelop it," Guillebeaux told the DDA board before the vote.

He added, "We feel our actions here are not only warranted but will enhance the downtown."

But Michael Myckowiak, a Detroit preservation attorney, condemned the vote.
"In a depression economy, Detroit should be trying to take a lead in what to do with its obsolete buildings, and it's not doing that," he said. "Mothballing buildings, finding a way to do it efficiently and economically, could make Detroit a model for the country. But instead we're creating more parking lots."

Only a couple of years ago, the DEGC was trying to lure developers to remake the building as million-dollar condominiums. But there was never a viable deal, Guillebeaux said.

"It really comes down to money," he said.

The DDA voted to give the demolition contract to Detroit-based Adamo Demolition Co. for $1,445,888. Part of the contract calls for Adamo to not damage adjacent buildings housing two famous coney island restaurants.

The Lafayette Building occupies a triangular lot bordered by Michigan Avenue, West Lafayette Boulevard and Shelby Street.

Contact JOHN GALLAGHER: 313-222-5173 or gallagher@freepress.com

[French777]

True the lafayette is beautiful! But I would be more hurt if something like the Book Tower was brought down. Sad news

[royce]

Now that the work day is over, is there anyone who can answer my previous questions? Thanks.

[wolverine]

Well....at least Atlanta still has theirs http://www.bing.com/maps/default.asp...8140&encType=1

Not that it matters to Detroit. Just saying that a building like the Lafayette can be renovated when opportunities arise. It will be a difficult block to fill. You know it's one of those lots where the current building fits perfectly. It's massed well and its exterior is in harmony with the Book Cadillac. Expect some ugly glass square to go up on site.

[Mackinaw]

Demolition without a development plan... yeah, that sounds good.

Yet another atrocity.

Removing abandoned buildings cannot make us any better off. The fate of a downtown, in terms of its growth and vibrancy/lack thereof, is almost completely unrelated to the presence of abandoned buildings. If I could show you my current downtown neighborhood in another state's similarly maligned city you'd see a place with much higher office occupancy rates and much more retail, despite its spattering of abandoned buildings. Since there are already plenty of parking lots, and since there is a general awareness that the buildings are irreplaceable, nobody is planning to tear them down. I think most people in Detroit think the same about Detroit's abandoned gems...it's just the shortsighted "leaders" who are so desperate for development that they'll roll the dice and try anything to make it happen.

This is destruction for destruction's sake. This clearly responds to no market forces [[even if someone wanted space for new construction or parking downtown, they'd have their pick of several prime empty lots large and small), and demolishing something with value cannot possibly create demand or add value to downtown. We're about to reduce the total value of our downtown by removing a unique building that had both aesthetic value and latent value in terms of possibly being re-used in the future. Further, it reduces the value of existing vacant land by making it even less scarce. This is inefficient, wasteful, and ignorant. Has anyone on the DDA ever been to a great city and noted what it looks like? None of them have landscaped parking lots on every block.

[Lorax]

With this kind of mentality, Detroit will never recover, unfortunately.

Just add the Lafayette to the growing list of wasted buildings already gone, and to the list of those yet to come, such as the Book Tower/Building, The David Whitney Building, MCD among others that will certainly be next.

The city of Detroit will constantly make these mistakes until there is nothing left but empty weed choked lots, which is what the Lafayette parcel will become.

Cities need the infill buildings like the Lafayette to keep an urban cohesiveness intact, such as other cities have. Empty lots are just as unattractive as abandoned buildings, since they point to a wasteful thought process which renders the built environment expendable at any cost.

Grand Circus Park without highrises on each of the parcels fronting the park makes it a gap-toothed smile. People I know who have visited Detroit recently said it looked vacant and forlorn, as there was so much missing physically, making any hope of a cohesive street vibrancy impossible.

The city has such a breathtaking lack of foresight in not developing a workable plan to mothball buildings for future development, that at this point, there really isn't enough left of the original city to bother saving what's remaining.

What will be built, should the economy improve in the next couple of decades will be shoddy, throw away architecture, such as the dozens of lousy strip malls popping up everywhere.

What makes the demolition of the Lafayette, as well as the rest of Detroit so disheartening, is that the best architecture we are ever going to see in our lifetimes has already been built.

Now that it's being erased in favor of empty lots for some vague promise of "future development" makes it more than obvious that what has been saved thus far is all we're going to keep. The rest of what's vancant and still standing you might as well say goodbye to right now.

[Novine]

Rhetorical question Mackinaw? The DDA wouldn't know a great downtown if it rose up and kicked them in their backside. The DDA members are a bunch of syncophants whose sole role is to rubberstamp Demolition Jackson's rush to demolish. Why? Because the Detroit DDA has been structured to be a constant churn that converts public tax dollars into private benefit where the public good and benefit is the last consideration, if it's considered at all. The DDA has millions that were planned to be used for building conversions and renovations. But most of that was siphoned off towards the plans to bring Quicken downtown. Even though that no longer seems to be a viable plan, the DDA is holding that money back and using other funds to press forward with demolition.

Maybe our forum buddy Bill Shea should spend some more time investigating the various DDA connections and less time celebrating the destruction of Tiger Stadium. At least on of his Crain's co-workers is willing to stand up to Demolition Jackson.

[Mackinaw]

Good posts.

Though realizing any future building won't be able to match the grandeur of a 1920s building, I would take just about anything on this site, the Hudson block, the statler block, etc, so long as it looks like it belongs in a city. Modern architecture is preferable to pavement and cars. Parking lots detract from a city like nothing else-- the list of ways they detract functionally, aesthetically, and even economically are astounding.

Sadly, there is nothing, nothing on the horizon for downtown development. I expect the Lafayette block will be a parking lot for many years to come, though I hope I'm wrong. We'll be lucky if we get a parking garage on that site, since the parking skyscraper in greektown and the huge structure next to the Book have consumed that market.

Destruction for destruction's sake...

[crawford]

All these silly alleged "preservationists" making these posts don't know the first thing about real estate.

You can blame George Jackson, Detroiters supposed architectural ignorance, or whatever floats your boat, but this building's fate was sealed when the decision was made to subsidize the renovation of the Book Cadillac.

You can't have giant decaying vacant tombstones adjacent to a building trying to market hotel, residence and restaurant amenities at relatively high prices.

[Russix]

All these silly alleged "preservationists" making these posts don't know the first thing about real estate.

You can blame George Jackson, Detroiters supposed architectural ignorance, or whatever floats your boat, but this building's fate was sealed when the decision was made to subsidize the renovation of the Book Cadillac.

You can't have giant decaying vacant tombstones adjacent to a building trying to market hotel, residence and restaurant amenities at relatively high prices.

Very true, but could you not clean it up so its looks nice enough to fool an unsuspecting eye? The building would look the same on the outside if it was either totally renovated or got a nice facelift.

[jtf1972]

What is the plan of the DDA? Knock it down then figure it out later? Of all the things that should come down, why is this building next on the hit list? Damn... if every city thought this way they'd just blow the whole fucking world up and put in a parking lot. Knock down the LafayetteBldg & make sure not to touch a couple of Coney Island restaurants? Thank God we get to preserve a couple of shacks that could easily be moved into a refirbished building.

Once again, we tear down whatever is beautiful in the city, but save the gaudy, nasty, ugly crap. Thanks DDA!

[wolverine]

All these silly alleged "preservationists" making these posts don't know the first thing about real estate.

What makes you any more qualified to speak against it? There's really no excuse for what brought it to the demolition list. Don't try to justify it with the economics side of the argument. I think we can all agree the money doesn't add up for this project at this point in time. But the same can be said for thousands of structures in other cites. Vacant buildings are ubiquitous, look up for once when you visit any city. They'll sit without tenants until the time is right. The difference is elsewhere the building hasn't changed since the days the last tenants left. The same people responsible for the demolition of the structure are also responsible for its years of neglect and damage. The money used for demolition should have gone towards light maintenance and security.

The Whitney was immaculate until the guard was let go, proving a point that you can protect any building if you choose to be responsible.

[DetroitScooter]

And 50 years later, the Packard plant still stands...
[[And yeah, I think that I will put this in every thread from now on - kidding - but it deserves to be in every Lafayette thread, anyway)

[Lorax]

All these silly alleged "preservationists" making these posts don't know the first thing about real estate.

You can blame George Jackson, Detroiters supposed architectural ignorance, or whatever floats your boat, but this building's fate was sealed when the decision was made to subsidize the renovation of the Book Cadillac.

You can't have giant decaying vacant tombstones adjacent to a building trying to market hotel, residence and restaurant amenities at relatively high prices.

If finances were the only metric we're using here, then I would agree.

What we are talking about is the physical fabric of the city. The built environment, and there is more to that equation than simply money.

Without that bricks and mortar fabric, you don't have a physical city.

Next comes the value of that physical asset. Is the quality of what you are destroying better than, or less than what will replace it.

A parking lot or blown styrofoam decorated strip mall is not an improvement over what is there.

And don't give me any crap about best and highest use of the land, since that argument would end up back in the lap of the preservationist.

In the case of the Lafayette Building, mothballing it is the best and highest use- as of now.

It would cost less to stabilize the cornice, and brick in the windows than it would to demolish it.

It would save money, and preserve in stasis a building which serves to stabilize the wall-line of Michigan Avenue, and if the Kinsel's corner was preserved, would have been a lovely book-match triangle to that end of the street. Now we have a soulless concrete garage void of any architectural value.